The present invention relates to a hunting arrow, and more specifically to a hunting arrow having signal-generating means, in the form of a transmitter, located on the arrow to enable a bow hunter to locate the arrow after a missed shot, or the wounded animal after a successful shot independent of the location of the arrow.
The bow hunting of big game animals is increasing in popularity in the United States. White-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, antelope and bear are only a few of the species currently being hunted. State-of-the-art hunting arrows typically have a hollow carbon fiber or aluminum shaft and are provided with a removable and interchangeable tip, or "broadhead". The type, size, weight, etc., of a broadhead may be changed depending upon the animal hunted, the weather conditions, the terrain, etc. Such arrows are quite expensive, typically ranging in price from $5.00 to $7.00.
Two distinct problems are common with bow hunters: (1) locating the arrow resulting from a missed shot and (2) locating the injured animal (if an immediate kill is not made) resulting from a successful shot. Even the best of hunters miss their target about 20-25% of the time, and less experienced hunters even more. When shooting from a range of 50-100 yards, it is not uncommon to lose the arrows resulting from errant shots. A typical hunter may lose 10-20 arrows per year, resulting in substantial financial loss. Even more importantly, however, the loss of game resulting from successful shots is significant. While it is possible to drop a smaller animal immediately with a well-placed shot, larger animals such as deer, elk, bear, etc., are seldom instantly killed by an arrow. Whether the arrow passes completely through the animal or remains imbedded therein, the animal may run for from a few hundred yards to miles before either dying or resting.
Hunting arrows have been developed which contain transmitters, enabling a bow hunter with a receiving unit to locate either the arrow after an errant shot, or the quarry after a successful shot, presuming the arrow remains imbedded in the quarry. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,948 discloses a battery-powered transmitter located within the broadhead and having a rigid antenna extending through the shaft of the arrow. The arrow of U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,319 includes a transmitting device located within the nock of the arrow. The device may also include an audible signal generator to further aid location of the arrow. U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,683 discloses a transmitter positioned intermediate the arrowhead and the nock of a hunting arrow. The transmitter is provided as an extension of the arrow between the main body of the arrow and the arrowhead. The shaft of the arrow serves as the antenna for the transmitter and the transmitter remains with the arrow at all times.
The foregoing patents have addressed the problem of errant shots and successful shots wherein the arrow remains imbedded in the quarry. In a significant number of cases of successful shots, for relatively smaller animals (such as white-tail deer), the arrow passes completely through the animal, severely injuring but not necessarily immediately incapacitating it. If imbedded, the arrow is usually broken off against trees, rocks, etc., or pulled out by the injured animal. In such cases the animal may run a substantial distance before dying, making it quite difficult to find, even if one of the arrows of the prior art is utilized.
A second problem is that generally the radio transmitter devices are contained within the broadhead, shaft, or nock making it a unique, customized, and generally more-expensive arrow. U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,935 issued Aug. 22, 1989, owned by a common assignee, discloses several such embodiments of radio transmitters that are contained within the arrow and detach from the arrow after penetrating the quarry. It would be desirable then to have a transmitter that can be affixed to any arrow, and preferably mounts external to the arrow so that a specially formed arrow is not required for its use.